


Lullaby Series 3: Lullaby in the Sky

by spookyawards_archivist



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-01-21
Updated: 2003-01-21
Packaged: 2019-04-27 05:57:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14419125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookyawards_archivist/pseuds/spookyawards_archivist
Summary: Post Requiem.  Sequel to "L is for Lullaby" and "Lullaby Redux". Will they take the babies again?  Is Scully pregnant again?  Mulder and Scully  make a deal with the aliens.





	Lullaby Series 3: Lullaby in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Note from alice ttlg, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Spooky Awards](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Spooky_Awards), and was moved to the AO3 as part of the Open Doors project in 2018. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are the creator and would like to claim this work, please contact me using the e-mail address on [SpookyAwards' collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/spookyawards/profile).

 

Lullaby Series 3: Lullaby in the Sky

## Lullaby Series 3: Lullaby in the Sky

### by Donnilee

TITLE: Lullaby in the Sky  
AUTHOR: Donnilee  
WEBSITE: <http://donnilee.tripod.com>  
**RATING: NC-17**  
CATEGORY: MSR - DRR (Doggett/Reyes Romance) 

SUMMARY: Post Requiem. Sequel to "L is for Lullaby" and "Lullaby Redux". Will they take the babies again? Is Scully pregnant again? Mulder and Scully make a deal with the aliens. 

SPOILERS: Not really. A few references to past episodes. So tiny you'll probably miss them. 

DISCLAIMER: Nope. Not mine. Used shamelessly and without remorse. They belong to Chris Carter, 1013 and Fox, and god knows who else, but not me. 

DEDICATION: Cate and Jensync1999 requested the first sequel, and wanted a continuation to this story. So here it is, girls. Thanks for your encouragement and support. 

SPECIAL THANKS: As always, a special thanks, cyber kisses and hugs for my phenomenal beta reader, Sdani. Her suggestions and corrections keep me on the beam and looking much smarter than I really am! Thanks, hon! 

* * *

* * *

**PROLOGUE**  
**MULDER'S HOME**  
**INDIAN HEAD, MD**  
**EARLY EVENING**

I looked down at the small plastic tray sitting on the edge of the bathroom counter. It had been almost six weeks since that fateful night we had made love, having been told that I was fertile. Even being a doctor and knowing that the hormone that indicated pregnancy often didn't show up for two months, I'd been taking home pregnancy tests for three weeks already ... hoping. 

I felt the crushing disappointment as I stared at it. Mulder walked into the bathroom and his eyes went to the little tray. He sighed heavily and stepped behind me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me back into his chest. "It's too early to know, Scully," he whispered, landing a gentle kiss on my temple. 

I sniffed back the tears and whispered back, "I know. I just keep hoping." 

"Don't stop hoping. But you need to stop torturing yourself," he said, a mild reprimand in his voice. "We both know it will be at least another two weeks before we can possibly know for sure." 

I hung my head forward, knowing he was right and realizing that the crushing disappointment that sat on my shoulders every time I took one of these tests was not doing either of us any good. 

He spun me around to face him and a sob caught in the back of my throat. He pulled me tightly against his chest and rocked me gently. "No more tests, for at least another two weeks, all right?" he asked, his voice tentative. He didn't want to make me angry or upset me. 

I sniffled again and nodded my head against his warm tee shirt. I let the tears come. I cried silently, no sound emerging from my throat as I tried to choke them down. He kissed the top of my head and just held me until the emotional storm passed. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 1 (PG-13)**  
**MULDER'S HOME**  
**INDIAN HEAD, MD**  
**TWO DAYS LATER**  
**SATURDAY EVENING**

"Psst, Scully ... get up, he's here," Mulder whispered urgently. 

The words shot through me like a shock and I stiffened. "He? Who?" 

"The Alien," he whispered. 

I felt the bed dip then rise back up as he leaped up, agile as a cat from the bed to his feet, pulling on a pair of boxers as I scrambled for my panties and tee shirt. We both pulled on sweats. 

I grabbed Missy and he grabbed Sean, each of us clutching the babies to our chests as we made our way downstairs. Neither of us was willing to leave them alone, unguarded in the bedroom. God knew how many of them were here. 

Half way down the stairs, I realized that I hadn't asked how Mulder knew that the Bounty Hunter was here. I'd immediately taken his word for it. These "sixth senses" that he was developing were a bit on the spooky side. Pretty soon, he was definitely going to live up to his moniker. Even though he'd informed me that they weren't all Bounty Hunters, I still thought of them all that way. They all looked the same. 

The babies had fussed a bit when we woke them but now were strangely quiet as they rested lazily on our shoulders, one arm supporting their butts. We turned the corner into the living room and there he stood in the middle of it, calmly looking around as though he hadn't a care in the world. 

I felt a sudden sense of violation that he had somehow walked right into the house without raising any kind of alarm. The house alarm was elaborate, expensive and definitely was set before we had retired for the evening. 

As though he read my thoughts, Mulder's first words were, "Ever hear of knocking? Around here, just walking into someone's home is considered rude. Common courtesy is something you guys could use to learn." 

The alien cocked his head slightly to the side, looking amused. He smiled and said, "Good to see you too, Mr. Mulder." 

I watched as their eyes locked and Mulder said, "Hello, Hexla." 

I wondered how the hell he knew which one this was. They all looked the same to me. 

The alien smiled wider, I assumed in acknowledgement of his name. Mulder had said that was a big thing with them, to have their name respected and acknowledged. He looked at Mulder, his eyes flicking from Sean to Missy. "You are correct. If you respect my traditions, I should respect yours." 

Mulder nodded as if that settled the matter. He waved his free hand toward the couch and stepped down the stairs into the sunken living room. Hexla and Mulder sat on opposite ends of the couch. I chose to perch on the end of the two-cushion sofa that was kitty-corner to the couch. I wanted to be able to move quickly if I had to. 

Although I had no reason to fear any nefarious purpose during this visit, I was nervous nonetheless. They had taken my babies once. Nothing said they wouldn't take them again. But they had never out and out lied to us. That was the disturbing thing. They just did what they wanted and didn't give a damn whether anyone liked it or not. 

"So ..." Mulder began. 

Hexla did that little head tilt thing that he did. I realized this was a sign that he was _thinking_ or preparing his words. It hit me that English was not their language and he probably had to formulate the language in his head before speaking. 

"I am here to discuss future arrangements for the testing of your children." 

'The testing of your children.' The words put a chill in my bones and I squeezed Missy a little tighter to my chest. Her head bobbed on her shoulders and she looked at me with a perplexed expression, clearly not understanding what my problem was. But she was picking up on my anxiety. I took a deep breath in an effort to still my jangling nerves. 

Mulder said, "We don't trust you, but we understand that you are going to take what you want whether we like it or not." 

Hexla nodded in agreement. 

"So if you are going to ... do what you have to do ... we would prefer to cooperate ... and know when and where they are and with whom ... rather than panic when they are suddenly taken from us." 

The alien nodded again. "What are you proposing?" 

"Can the tests you need to do be done here in the house?" 

Hexla smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "No." 

Mulder sighed, not sure what to say from there. I butted in. "Look, is it possible for one or both of us to go with them and be present during these tests?" 

His head tilted again. "I would have to ask the Elders for permission. I will find out. Most of what we need to know is done with technology that is on our ship and that you do not have here on earth. However, if you are cooperative, blood samples could be given to us rather than us taking them to simply get a blood sample for testing." 

I looked at Mulder, my eyes conveying my fears. He looked at Hexla and said, "We'll give you blood tests whenever you want. Will you come here to get them?" 

"Yes, I can try to give you notice so you have them ready when I arrive. Or I can just come and get them when I am ordered. I cannot guarantee that I can give you notice but I will try." 

"What about when you need to take them?" 

"Then I can give you notice. In fact, I can give you a schedule. There are certain stages of development that we want to document. The first five years of their lives, we will want to check their development regularly, perhaps two or three times a year." 

"Two or three times a year!?" I exclaimed. 

He nodded calmly. "Yes, they grow rapidly when young. As they get older, we will not need to check so often." 

I drew in a breath, feeling my lungs shudder with fear. Could I take this kind of stress and worry every four months? I would have to. I didn't have a choice. And as fearful as I was about going with them, I was more afraid to let them take them without my presence. And it wasn't certain that we could go with them. 

Mulder asked, "O.K., let's make a deal now that you will not take them for blood tests, but will simply ask for the samples and how much you need when you need them." 

Hexla nodded. "It will be so," he said calmly. 

"And as regards the other tests, you will give us notice ... how much?" 

"At least seven days." 

Mulder nodded. "That's good." He glanced at me to see if I approved. Like I had a choice in the matter. 

"The more notice, the better," I said, knowing my opinion or feelings meant little here. I was surprised though that they were willing to negotiate at all. In the past, they simply took, with no regard for our feelings or what we might feel. 

Hexla added, "We will never have them for more than 24 hours at a time. They need their mother, especially now." He looked at me with what was almost a fond expression ... if I didn't know better. 

"Why are you here?" I asked 

"Scully," Mulder's voice held a warning. 

He knew I didn't mean that literally. The head tilted again. "Because your mate requested that we negotiate terms." 

"You never negotiated before. Why now?" 

"You never asked." 

I barked out an incredulous laugh. "Give me a break." 

"Is the truth," he said, his voice never deviating from the annoying monotone that they all seemed to have. 

"You mean to tell me that all this time, all we had to do was ask and you would have spoken to us rationally and not come in like storm troopers and took what you wanted?" 

Head tilt again. That gesture was starting to annoy me as well. Everything about this situation, and him, annoyed me. 

"I cannot say with regard to other incidents. You always ran from us or tried to do us harm as soon as you knew what we were. This time, you asked. We are reasonable people." 

I chuckled mirthlessly again. "Yeah, right. And I'm Mary Poppins," I muttered sarcastically. 

"Careful, Scully," Mulder mumbled under his breath. 

Hexla fixed me with his gaze. "What changed for you?" he asked. "Why do you ask now, and never before to simply talk with us?" 

"What changed? You have to ask?" I shot him another incredulous look and then looked at Missy in my arms. 

He smiled again. "So you were not willing to cooperate and negotiate for your own life, but you are willing to do so for your offspring." It was a statement. 

Mulder nodded this time. "Of course. Would it be any different for you?" 

His head bobbed up and down in agreement as he smiled. "This is a good thing." 

I scrunched my brow. He saw it and said, "We want you to protect the children. We were not sure that your instincts in that regard would be the same as ours. It's good to know that they are, at least with you two. You are truly bonded mates. Our research has not indicated that all humans are the same in this regard." 

I felt a pang, wondering where they had observed humans and their children. There were certainly plenty of parents willing to die for the children. There were also plenty that didn't give a damn. I couldn't imagine that, my children having been so hard won. I wondered if every parent knew what a miracle and a gift a child was. 

Mulder said, "I think most parents will protect their children. There are exceptions and that apathy is usually caused by abuse or drug use." 

Hexla nodded. "We do not have the drug problem your culture does. We do not really understand it." 

"Too complicated to explain." 

He nodded, accepting that. We were getting off track. "So what's left unresolved here?" 

Mulder said, "Whether or not we can come to observe the tests." He looked pointedly at Hexla. 

"I will confer with the Elders and get back to you within seven days." He paused, one side of his mouth quirking up. "And I will knock," he said with irony, displaying a slight sense of humor that I would have bet a month's salary he didn't have. 

They were such complex creatures. How we had gotten so mixed up with them was still a mystery to me. By chasing the consortium, their long time allies, we had unwittingly dipped our toe into some interplanetary politics about six years ago. Most people got involved in interdepartmental or jurisdictional squabbles, but that wasn't good enough for Mulder and I. No, we had to get in between shadow government player and aliens. What the hell? 

If I told our story to any normal human being, they would probably laugh in my face. It sounded ludicrous even to me ... and I was living it! 

Hexla stood without preliminaries. "Are we done here?" he asked. 

Mulder stood and handed Sean to me. I perched him carefully on the other shoulder and slid onto the sofa, not wanting to stand while holding both of them. 

Mulder stuck out his hand to Hexla and he tipped his head, looking at it. "Are you a man of your word?" Mulder asked. 

"My word?" 

"Your integrity. Is your word ... honest?" 

"Ah!" he said with sudden understanding. "Yes. Another ritual?" 

Mulder smirked. "Here, we shake hands to seal a deal, giving our word of honor." 

Hexla looked amused but cautiously stuck his hand out. Mulder gripped it firmly and shook it soundly twice. Hexla's look became solemn and he nodded again. "I will leave you now and I will return." 

He turned to leave but spun on his heel back toward us and said, "You knew I was here," he said, looking at Mulder. 

Mulder nodded once, sharply. Hexla smiled. "Your skills are improving ... good." 

"I still can't control them." 

"You will learn." He paused. "Did you breed?" 

"Excuse me?" Mulder asked, his tone incredulous. 

"At our last meeting, I told you to breed that day." 

Mulder swallowed heavily, glancing at me. A mere two days ago, I'd stood in the bathroom and cried over my negative results of my home pregnancy test. "Yes," Mulder answered quietly, at last. 

Hexla approached me and I stiffened automatically. He smiled, the gesture giving him an odd look. He turned to Mulder. "Take your children." 

Mulder hurried to my side and scooped each baby up, one in each arm. I stood, still tense. Hexla said, "Relax, I will not hurt you." 

I took a deep breath in an effort to relax, but I couldn't. He looked amused but then said, "I am going to touch you." 

Mulder grunted. Hexla looked at him and said, "Not inappropriately." 

With that he turned to me, placing one hand on my shoulder, and the other on my abdomen. I cringed involuntarily at his touch as he towered over me. But his touch was gentle and although my skin crawled a bit, I managed to stand still. His eyes closed and he was silent for a few seconds. I felt a warm shock, much like static electricity shoot through my abdomen and I gasped. 

Mulder reacted instantly, "Scully!?" He was watching us like a hawk. 

I just looked at him. I was about to reassure him that I was all right when Hexla removed his hands and stood to his full height of 6 foot, 6 inches tall. I stepped back from him, uncomfortable with his height and proximity. But I looked at him to gauge his response. A broad smile spread across his face, the biggest smile I'd seen on any of them. He nodded brusquely. "You are pregnant," he stated with authority. 

Traitorous tears stung my eyes with an immediacy that stunned me. This time, Mulder gasped. "Are you sure?" he asked. 

Hexla turned to him. "Yes. You have done well." 

Mulder mumbled, "It's not exactly a hardship." 

I couldn't believe he found any levity in this situation. I didn't have time to ponder it as the alien smiled at Mulder as though they shared a private joke. There was an odd humming sound in the air emanating from him as his mirth died down. That must be their version of a chuckle, I thought. 

I scrunched my brow, looked at Mulder and found him grinning. Grinning! 

"Excuse me!" I said, feeling self-conscious and embarrassed. 

Mulder cleared his throat and mumbled, "Yes, I am." 

I was even more confused now. 

With that, Hexla nodded and turned on his heel. He went out the back door onto the beach and disappeared into the blackness. We followed and then stood shoulder to shoulder and watched him go until we couldn't see him anymore. Mulder reset the house alarm that Hexla had somehow deactivated when he entered the house. 

Mulder gave Missy back to me and then wrapped his free arm around my shoulders, hugging me tenderly. We were silent for a while, then he said, "Are you all right?" 

"Yeah, it just always shakes me up when I see them, no matter what." 

"Know what you mean," replied. 

"What was that last bit all about?." 

He swallowed and looked at me. "Sorry, I should have explained but he took me by surprise." 

"Explain now," I said, feeling testy all of a sudden. 

He arched a brow and said, "He spoke to me ..." 

"Muld ..." 

"In my head." 

I didn't know how I felt about that, or if I even really understood what he was saying. "What do you mean?" 

"I mean ... that I heard him in my head. His laughter surprised me. I didn't think they had a sense of humor. And although I don't find any of this situation funny in the least ..." he trailed off. 

"Go on." 

"I didn't mean to say, 'it's not exactly a hardship.' I thought it and it just slipped out. Nervous babbling, I guess. Then he chuckled. That's what that humming sound was" 

"Then what?" I'd heard all that. 

"Then he said ... you are a lucky man to have such a loyal mate." 

"So that was what you were responding to when you answered, ..." 

He cut me off. "Yes, I am," he finished for me, smiling down into my face. 

"That was weird, Mulder." 

"Imagine hearing him in your head. That was weird." 

"I'll bet." 

"I think it went all right, though. As well as can be expected." 

"Yes," he said, his voice tight. 

"What is it?" I asked, hearing something I couldn't identify in his voice. 

He looked down at me and said, "It's nothing." He leaned down and kissed me quickly on the lips and turned to make his way back upstairs. I followed and we placed the kids back in their cribs. 

I turned to him as we stripped off our clothes. "Are you going to tell me about it?" I asked, knowing that whatever was weighing on his mind wasn't _nothing_. I hated it when he gave me answers like that. Despite the closeness of our relationship, and that we were now husband and wife, he still held back sometimes. Not that I could blame him after all we'd been through. I had my moments as well where he had to coax me to tell him things, remind me that I trusted him, not just with my body and heart, but with my soul and my thoughts. 

He sighed heavily and slid under the covers, now nude. I followed and scooted over on the bed so that I could lay my head on his chest. His arm came around my shoulders again, his fingers playing with the ends of my hair. I waited, not wanting to push. At the same time, he knew I wasn't going to let this go. 

"I'm feeling ... torn." 

"About what?" 

He swallowed heavily. "You'll think I'm rotten." 

"Mulder! No I won't!" 

"You don't know what I'm going to say." 

I sighed and leaned up on my elbow so that I could look down into his face. "Nobody knows better than me what you've been through Mulder. You know I won't hold any of your fears against you. Christ, you'd have to be a statue not to have fears." 

"Who said this had to do with fear?" 

I quirked an eyebrow up to my hairline and he smiled softly. "Damn you for knowing me so well," he muttered. 

I just grinned and continued to wait. 

* * *

What is it about this woman? I'm supposed to be the one with the sixth senses now. But damned if this woman doesn't know half of what's going on in my head without me even saying a word. 

She's still _Agent_ Scully, and once she's made up her mind to pry information out of me, resistance is futile. 

I sighed heavily and braced myself for my confession. "I don't know if I want to go with the babies when they are taken on the ship," I whispered, clamping my eyes shut and feeling tears sting the lids. I didn't want to look at her right now and see the disappointment or anger that I expected. 

Her voice was soft and low when she said, "Mulder, open your eyes and look at me." 

I swallowed heavily and opened my eyes, locking my gaze with hers. All I saw there was love and tenderness, maybe some sadness. No disgust, disappointment or anger. Was there ever a more amazing woman? I didn't think so. "You have every right to be afraid. If I'd been through what you had, I'd fear it too." 

I sucked in a shuddery breath, trying not to let the tears fall. "I feel like such a wimp. I mean, it frightens me to let them take them, even for 24 hours. My head fills with all these flashbacks of the things that were done to me. Even though I know that isn't the type of testing they are doing on the babies." 

"You were afraid when we were in the Arizona desert, but you conquered your fear then." 

"Yes, but I didn't have to go on the ship." He paused. "I think about it and I have a panic attack, break out in the cold sweats." 

She leaned down and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my lips softly. "Oh Mulder. If you can't do it, then I will go ... that is if we even get permission. I have a feeling they won't allow it." 

He nodded. "I can't let you do that." 

"Why not? You go. I go. What's the difference?" 

"I can't let you go alone, Scully. Then I'd be here worrying about all three of you!" 

I chuckled. "We'll work it out, Mulder. Let's wait and see what they say first." 

I looked at her and said, "I'll fight the panic. If you go, I go. That's all there is to it. We've been separated too many times. As much as the idea of being on that ship frightens me ... it frightens me more to have them take my family away and leave me here alone ... not knowing what's going on." I paused. "I don't think I could do that either, Scully." 

She hugged me tighter, her soft breasts pressing into my chest as she rolled on top of me, her legs spreading to straddle my hips. Her head was tucked under my chin, and she turned, pressing her lips to my collarbone. I shuddered at the slight tickle it caused and she chuckled. 

"As long as we're together, Mulder, it will work out. I think if we are worried about the babies, that may take the focus away from your fear for yourself." 

"Who's the psychologist in this marriage anyway?" 

She chuckled again. "You are ... so stop analyzing yourself to death. We have enough to worry about in the here and now without worrying about things that haven't happened yet." 

"Amen to that." 

"Amen, Mulder?" she teased. Me making a religious reference was mighty unusual. 

I smiled and kissed the top of her head, her soft hair snagging in my razor stubble. "I'm ready to try anything at this point," I vowed. 

I felt her lips smile against my skin. "I love you, Mulder. Don't forget that." 

"I know, Scully. It amazes me every day, still. And I love you too." 

"Do you really think I'm pregnant?" 

He looked down as I tilted my head up to see his face. He looked somber. "He knew about the twins. They have never actually lied to us." 

I nodded. "I know but somehow that doesn't make me feel better." 

"I know what you mean. I think he's probably right though. I doubt he'd say anything if he weren't sure." 

"Yeah," I said, hating the breathy sound of my voice. 

He squeezed me tight. "Why did you gasp when he was touching you? It scared the shit out of me." 

"I felt this little shock." 

"Shock?" he asked, looking alarmed. 

"Nothing big, like a static electricity zap from his hand. It took me by surprise is all. It didn't hurt." 

"I hated watching him touch you. I had both arms full of baby and I didn't know who I wanted to protect more, you or the babies," he said quietly. 

Her hand snaked down between us and grasped my semi-erect cock. I was always semi-aroused if our skin was in contact. It was like a perpetual state for me now. At the contact with her warm, tiny hand, I surged to fully erect in a heartbeat. "Awww, Scully." 

"I didn't like him touching me either. Make me forget. Make love to me, Mulder." 

* * *

* * *

**PART 2 (NC-17)**  
**MULDERS' HOME**  
**INDIAN HEAD, MD**  
**LATER THAT NIGHT**

I groaned as Mulder slid his body languorously in and out of mine. I was still taken aback sometimes at the depth of the things he could make me feel. "Oh Mulder." 

He smiled down at me lazily, never losing his rhythm as he leaned on one elbow. The hand was busy, his fingers pinching my hardened nipple in a hard point of sensation. His mouth came down to cover mine. He surged into me over and again, filling me so full. 

My abdomen buzzed with the feeling. Raising my legs higher on his waist, he sunk deeper and muttered, "Sweet heaven, Scully." 

I smiled as he sped up, his hips slapping against my thighs as his need for release took hold of him. I whispered, "Pinch a little harder." 

He didn't have to ask what I meant. His fingers immediately rolled my hardened bud and pinched sharply. I broke apart, feeling my core walls flutter around him and pull him over the edge. "Muullddeerr!" I groaned as his hot seed filled my womb. 

His voice warbled out, low and husky, "Oh Gooohhhoood!" His hips shuddered with his release and then he went still. 

He settled against me, still holding his weight up. My arms wrapped around his torso and tugged. He slipped down to let his weight rest gently on me. I loved this feeling, sated from sex, his warm weight pressing me into the mattress. He surrounded me like a loving shroud. 

His face lifted to meet my eyes. His smile was lazy and soft. "How can I be so worried and so content at the same time?" he asked. 

I smiled. "I don't know, but I feel the same." 

He rolled off me and I missed his heat. I scooted into his body as his arm wrapped around my shoulders and my head found his chest. He tucked the blankets around us snugly and hummed in the back of his throat. 

"I have another fear," he admitted quietly. 

I looked up at him. "What?" 

"We are already fearing for the lives of two children. What are we thinking bringing another one into the world?" he asked quietly. 

I swallowed, having had the same thought myself. We still didn't know the final outcome of this strange connection with the aliens. It was a bit reckless to be adding more to the mix when we didn't know for certain that they would never be harmed, or that they would never be taken from us. 

My heart clenched at the thought of it. I sighed, having had this argument with myself already one hundred times in the last six weeks as I'd prayed that God would give me another miracle. 

"I know it doesn't make sense, Mulder. Despite everything that has happened, I feel blessed. And I have fears, but I refuse to let them rule my life. We can't live our lives wondering about future potential losses. We cheat ourselves that way. We have to grab the brass ring while we can and deal with each situation as it comes along. I never thought I'd have children and now I have two healthy, beautiful babies. I know I shouldn't want for more. I should be content with that and count my blessings. But when the opportunity arose that I might be able to do it again ... that I might be able to have more joy in my life ... I just didn't see how we could pass up that chance." He kissed the top of my head and said, "You're a wise woman, Scully." 

I smiled. "I don't know if I'm wise, Mulder. But I have a chance for such a full life and if I don't take it, if I let it go by, don't they win?" 

He snuggled me more securely to his side and said, "You are the most amazing woman in the world, Scully. I love you so much. And I love our babies so much. I never thought I'd have all this ... a family again. And it terrifies me that I might lose it at some point in the future, but you're right. I have to live for today and deal with tomorrow when it gets here." 

We kissed gently and I settled in again, sleep overtaking me in minutes. We'd been awoken in the middle of the night. It was now 3:00 AM and my brain was shutting down again, partially from lack of sleep and partially from coming down off the stress of this encounter with the alien. 

I slept without dreaming and woke at 5:00 AM to find the bed empty. 

* * *

I slept fitfully. I was glad Scully had conked out and didn't know it. She worried when I didn't sleep. But the nightmares still came occasionally and when I was stressed out, I had trouble sleeping, despite the fact that she was near me. I had extracted myself from her embrace after watching her sleep for a couple of hours and wondered downstairs, flipping on the computer and checking my e- mail. 

'You are pregnant.' The words floated through my mind again and I felt my chest constrict. Oh God, what were we doing!? I knew Scully was right, but I was terrified. I didn't even know what kind of a father I was going to make and we were already having another child. We'd been married only seven months. So much had happened. 

The twins were now months old and Scully was pregnant again. I didn't want to give her false hope, but I was sure that Hexla had known what he was talking about. Another baby. Jesus. We were insane. 

I smiled at the thought. Insane together, that was Scully and I. And crazy as we might appear to the outside world, we were happy together, really happy together. I was going through some adjustment anxiety still. I had only a mere three months to get used to being married before Scully gave birth. Then caring for babies, having them stolen away and getting them back. God, no wonder I was a freaking wreck half the time. 

The nightmares were less frequent and less intense, but they still visited every couple of weeks. I was tired to the marrow of my bones. I shivered and realized I was sitting there in nothing but my boxers. The house was chilly and went to turn up the thermostat a bit when I heard a sound behind me near the stairwell. I spun around to find Scully standing there with a wistful expression on her face. 

"Hey," I said quietly. 

"Hey yourself," she replied. 

"I was just going to turn up the heat. It's a little chilly in here." 

"That's because your practically naked," she stated, a hint of humor in her voice. 

"I see you put a robe on." I had no idea why I was making such inane conversation. 

"Hmmm, just to look for you. The bed's cold without you in it." 

I smiled. "I'll come back up." 

She smiled. "Good, don't be too long." 

I shut down the computer and padded up the stairs, my feet making no sound on the carpet. 

I entered the bedroom to find Scully naked, stripped of her robe and laying on top of the covers. Her feet were planted on the bed, her knees bent. Each hand cupped a breast, while her thumb and forefinger of each hand, pinched her hardened nipples. 

I gasped and then said, "God, you're so fucking beautiful." 

Her eyes opened and snared mine. She smiled a lascivious smile and said, "Are you up for another round Agent Mulder?" 

I grunted as a reply, my powers of speech having deserted me for the moment. I crawled between her legs, sliding my hands under her butt and spreading her apart. I dove between her legs, my tongue rasping over her reddened clit that was already distended and peeking out from under the hood. She barked out an unintelligible sound and bucked into my face. I loved that I could affect her this way. 

Arousal flew through every fiber of my body as my tiredness melted away. My cock grew hard instantly and strained against the bedspread. I undulated my hips into the mattress seeking a little relief. She gasped and said, "On your back." 

"I want to finish this ..." I said, pointing at her lovely sex. 

She grinned. "Next time. Right now I want to screw your brains out." 

"Jesus, Scully!" I was still surprised when I heard things like that come out of her mouth. I think that's why she did it, for the shock value. She seemed incredibly amused that I was floored by her talking dirty in any way. 

I crawled up and flopped onto my back. She hooked her fingers into the elastic on my boxers and yanked them down off my legs, tossing them carelessly over her shoulder. She didn't waste any time. 

Her tiny, warm hand wrapped firmly around my engorged cock. I bucked gently. She positioned herself between my legs and bent down to take me into her mouth. 

I moaned, never ceasing to be amazed and how good this felt. Scully had plenty of oral skills when we married, but in the last seven months, she'd become a real pro. She hadn't been able to take all of me at first. But I guess practice makes perfect, or she just relaxed enough. I'm not sure which. 

I shouted as she did what she always did now and took me down her tight throat. Her swollen lips buried in my pubic hair, she raised her smoky blue eyes to me, breathing gently from her nose. The look of utter lust and possessiveness in her eyes always undid me. This woman loved me. I still couldn't believe it. But with my heightened senses, I could feel it. 

I felt what she felt for me. I was the most incredible experience I'd ever known. Making love to Scully had been the best from the beginning. But it was even better now. I felt a wave of possessiveness float over me as she sucked with abandon, her cheeks hollowing with the effort as she moved back up my shaft. 

My head flew back of its accord, digging into the pillow and my eyes rolled back in my head as she cupped my balls and plunged my aching sex inside her throat again and again. 

I was stuttering and hardly cared. "Oh Scully, yes! So good!" I shouted. 

I could hear the words running through her mind as though she was speaking aloud almost. They were like an echo in the back of my head. * So fucking gorgeous. So sexy. MINE! You're mine! Love you, Mulder. Want this inside me.* 

I almost choked on the pleasure as her thoughts skittered across my mind. I couldn't believe she thought these things when she looked at me, when she took me into her mouth, into her body. 

"Stop!" I said urgently, my voice barely audible. 

But she heard me. She sucked hard, once and then retreated, my cock popping out of her mouth with an audible sound. I panted heavily and growled, "Inside." 

She nearly bounded up my body, her legs straddling my hips. She held my cock straight up and dropped down on me in one fell swoop, burying me to the hilt. I shouted, "Uuuggg!" and bucked into her body. 

Her hands came down on my shoulders and she began to ride me, hard and fast, her body clenching around me with every stroke as she grunted and panted, "Oh Mulder, Oh Fuck, you make me so hot." 

"Scully!" I whimpered feeling my cock skin stretch to the limit as her body and her words made my body harden further. Tension crackled in the air and I reached, pinching her nipples. I'd discovered early on that she was particularly sensitive to having her nipples pinched after she was aroused. Before, she liked to be suckled. But once she was aroused, she liked to be pinched. 

It never ceased to send a rush to my groin watching myself pinch her turgid nipples, watching them turn almost purple from the pressure. Her body clenched for a heartbeat. And I watched in awe as her orgasm trembled through her, her breast shuddering under my hands and her muscles gripping me tightly in a rapid tattoo. 

Having come once already tonight helped. I managed to barely hold onto my control. I bucked hard and rolled her onto her back, sinking deeply into her depths. I stopped and looked at her eyes. Then I had the perverse pleasure of watching her eyes go wide as when I said, "And you're MINE." 

I pulled back and pounded into her. About a dozen strokes was all I could manage, feeling her fingers grip my biceps as she gasped with every thrust. "Oh Christ, Scully!" I shouted. 

I felt her core muscles flutter against me, not sure if that was another orgasm or not but it felt divine. She groaned low and that was the last straw. Her sounds always made me wild. 

I shouted another inarticulate sound and let my release wash over me as my balls clenched deliciously with my ejaculations. My skin tingled and my legs vibrated, my eyes stung with tears at the sheer joy and intensity of it. You would think the intensity would have dimmed, at least a little, in seven months. It hadn't. Orgasms were now a full body experience, the way they'd never been with anyone I'd been with previously. They robbed me of speech, control and shook me to the core. 

I collapsed against her as we breathed heavily, waiting for our breath and heartbeats to return to normal. My legs trembled from the exertion. She finally whispered, "Jesus, Mulder." 

I felt her shiver against me. I shifted, yanking the covers over us. I left her sprawled on my chest as I tucked the covers around us in our nightly ritual. Dawn was breaking through and soft sunlight illuminated the room through the open window that faced the beach. 

I chuckled affectionately. "Yeah, huh?" 

She chuckled with me. "Why did you say that?" 

"Say what?" I teased, knowing exactly what she was referring to. 

"You said, 'And you're MINE.'" 

My voice was a barely above a whisper as I rolled off her and pulled her into my side. "I heard you." 

"What do you mean?" 

"When you were going down on me, I could hear you." 

"I didn't say anything," she said suspiciously. 

I tapped her temple. "I heard your thoughts." 

She gasped gently and tilted her head up to look into my eyes. She almost looked frightened. "What did I say? I mean, think?" 

I felt my grin stretch across my face despite my efforts to say somber. "I heard, 'so gorgeous, so sexy, MINE! You're mine! And Love you, Mulder, want this inside me." 

I was swallowing hard feeling my chest constrict as I recited what I'd heard. 

She stared at me for a moment, her mouth agape. "My God, that's a little scary." 

"It is, isn't it." 

"Yeah, sometimes I think things I don't really mean." 

I must have looked stricken because she rushed to assure me, palming my face and kissing me gently. "No, I meant every word of that!" 

I felt the air rush out of my lungs. "Good," was the only intelligent remark I could muster at the moment, feeling a lump form in my throat. 

She shook my head gently. "Stop it, silly. You know I'm madly in love with you. I mean when I'm angry, sometimes I have these insane thoughts run through my head. They are nothing I would act on and a second later I realize how ridiculous they were. I wouldn't want you to misunderstand or take something literally and react to it." 

"If I hear anything wild or out of character, I'll just ask you about it." 

She looked at me hard for a moment. "Would you?" she asked quietly. 

I nodded. "I'm not like I used to be, Scully." 

"That's an understatement," she said with a wry expression. 

I smiled. "I don't hide things from you anymore, Scully. I'm not afraid anymore, not of you anyway, and not of what I feel for you." 

"What changed?" 

"I know you feel the same way about me." I paused. "That blows me away on a daily basis, but I know it's true." 

"Because you hear me say those things in my head?" 

"No that's only been happening recently. I can FEEL it, Scully, especially when we touch. I can feel these waves of emotion come off you. I can feel when you are feeling tender towards me, or affectionate, or full of love. It washes over me like a ... cleansing wave. I don't know, I can't describe it very well." 

"That explained it pretty well," she said, smiling. 

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER**  
9:00 PM 

Life went on as usual for the next week. Saturday rolled around and we were both on edge. It was the seventh day and Hexla hadn't returned. I wondered if he would pay us another midnight-visit. I was afraid to go to bed. I had this creepy feeling that he would take us by surprise again. 

Mulder and I had discussed it and decided to call Agent Doggett. He was not comfortable with the aliens any more than we were, but we wanted to have someone to watch the babies while we talked with Hexla. Having them there was another distraction. We spent the whole time worrying they would try to take them. 

Doggett arrived about a half an hour ago. He and Mulder sat on the couch. Mulder filled him in on the events of our previous visit. When Mulder was finished, Doggett said, "As soon as they get here, I'll go upstairs and stay with the kids." 

I smiled at him. "Thanks for coming over. I know this goes beyond the call of duty." 

"No problem. I'm glad to help. My skeptical mind still wants to deny that these things exist, but I ... can't do that anymore." 

"Do what?" Mulder asked. 

"Live in denial. I've seen too much now." 

Mulder nodded. We looked at each in silence for a couple of seconds and then all three of us jumped when three heavy knocks landed on the sliding glass door at the rear of the house. I might have known they wouldn't use the front door. 

Mulder stood and made his way to the rear of the house to answer the door. Doggett made his way to the foot of the staircase. He waited, probably wanting to see the alien again, despite his reluctance. 

Mulder turned the corner back into the living room with an odd, almost confused look on his face. I knew why an instant later when two aliens followed him into the room. 

My mouth dropped open and I stared without remorse at the statuesque woman standing beside the alien. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes and I felt a shiver go down my spine. 

She had to be six feet tall. She was wearing a long white dress with a fitted bodice. The rest hung in a tube down her slender body. A gold braided cord was wrapped around her waist and fell to her knees, ending in a tassel. She wore no jewelry. I did notice an odd green mark on her collarbone about the size of a quarter. It was a symbol I'd never seen before and assumed it meant something to them. It looked like a small, green tattoo. 

She looked at Mulder along with the alien. I saw Mulder flinch a little bit and heard the alien say, "Easy, he's just learning." 

She smiled again, never taking her eyes off Mulder. I heard Doggett's footsteps as he ascended the stairs. She took her eyes off Mulder for that and watched him until he was out of sight. 

Mulder cleared his throat, "Hello, Hexla, and ... Hemma?" This last was a question. 

She nodded, her smile widening, seemingly pleased. She raised an eyebrow and nodded at Hexla as though impressed. 

"Mr. Mulder," she acknowledged. She looked at me. "Mrs. Mulder." 

Hexla intervened at this point. "This is Hemma. She is an Elder, one of our leaders. She is Hemplar's mate. She wished to meet you for herself." 

He bowed his head in deference to her and stepped back, only then raising his head again. It was nice to know someone could get respect out of the big lout. However, that must mean that this woman was equally if not more powerful than her male counterpart. 

I remembered the name Hemplar from the first time when they took the children. He was another 'bounty hunter', for lack of a better word. He looked just like this one. In one way that was good. You always knew it was an alien when you saw that face. However, it also made it difficult to know whom the heck you were speaking to. Mulder didn't seem to be having any problems. But I was floundering. Although I was leery of these creatures, I didn't want to insult them or offend them. 

She began speaking. "Hexla tells me that you wish to accompany your children onto the ship for the necessary testing." 

"I don't know if it's necessary," I clarified, "but I would like to be with them, yes." 

"As an observer?" 

"Yes. I fear for my children's safety." 

"We would not harm them." 

"I only have your word for that." 

She tipped her head slightly to the side in a perfect imitation of Hexla when he was thinking. 

"You have nothing to fear," she stated. 

"Nonetheless, I do not trust you." 

A smile threatened at the corners of her mouth. She was a beautiful woman, long black hair in a thong that fell over her left shoulder. Every few inches there was another gold thong holding the mane of hair in place. The hair fell to her hip. I imagined it would be glorious when unbound. She had piercing brown eyes with gold flecks and full lips, high cheekbones and a regal bearing. Despite her height she stood ramrod straight. 

She looked at Hexla and he raised his brows. I heard the odd humming sound again and realized it was coming from his vocal chords. This must be some form of their language or a form of communication. He had apparently communicated something to her. 

She nodded and turned back to me. "It has never been done." 

I stared back at her, refusing to be intimidated even though I felt my insides curl with a fissure of fear. "None of this has ever been done, if Hexla and Hemplar are to be believed. This is new to you too. Perhaps some rules need to be broken. 

She turned to Hexla again. "I would have your assessment, Signar." 

Signar? I'd never heard that before. It must be some sort of title or rank. 

The odd humming filled the room again and I saw Mulder cringe. He came to stand beside me and put an arm around my waist, pulling me close. 

He leaned toward me with his face and whispered under his breath, repeating what was apparently being said. 

"They are extremely bonded mates for humans. They have the instinct to protect their young, nearly as strong as we do. They have both demonstrated a willingness to die to protect them. When we took them, they took great risks to come find them, and were frantic and angry. It is my assessment that it is not in our best interests to hide things from them. They are tenacious enough to pursue us to the end. They will not rest if their offspring are taken from them. They have demonstrated an ability to keep information to themselves. I would allow it, but I would impose conditions of silence. But of course, the decision is yours to make, High Signa." 

I turned my startled gaze to Mulder. Not because of what they had said, but because all I heard was buzzing and humming. He had understood. 

Hemma turned to face us again. She smiled openly at Mulder. She approached and stopped about a foot away, her eyes locked on Mulder's. He held her gaze, not flinching this time. Softly she said, "You understood." 

He nodded, once, sharply. 

She nodded in return. She stepped back. "If we were to allow you to come aboard, then you would have to understand that anything you saw there, technology and such, is not to be shared with others of your species. 

"There is sensitive equipment there and its existence must not become known." 

I swallowed and bucked up my courage. Her presence was powerful, especially standing this close. Her height was even more evident as she towered over me so that I had to tip my head back to see her face as she stared eye to eye with Mulder. 

Mulder spoke to her finally. "We probably wouldn't know what we were looking at anyway, but I can agree to those terms." He turned to me. "Scully?" 

I looked at him. "I don't see where we have a choice. Besides even if we or anybody in the government knew about that technology, they couldn't wrest it from them anyway." 

"They have in the past," he stated with conviction. He was referring to the stolen space ships and the use of its technology in experimental aircraft. 

I replied, "Only from ships that had crashed, not from anything operational." I still didn't know if it was plausible to think that our government had been able to make any kind of sense or use of the ships they had confiscated from crash sites. But I had not proof to the contrary either. I did believe Mulder on many points now that I had scoffed at in the past. Like Agent Doggett had said, I had seen too much now. 

Mulder nodded and turned back to Hemma. "We agree." 

She continued. "You would not be allowed to ask questions about the equipment or technology, only about the purpose of the tests. This we will tell you if you wish. There is no nefarious purpose here, whether you choose to believe that or not." She looked pointedly at me. 

She kept speaking. "We wish no harm to your children. But observing and testing them could save us." 

"Save you?" I blurted out, before thinking. 

The corners of her mouth turned up in amusement. "I think Hemplar explained some of this to your mate." 

Mulder sighed. "Yes. He said that you were originally from a planet that was dying and in danger of going super nova." 

"Yes, and we need another place to live, and time is running out. However, our gravity is lighter than yours, among other things. We can only adapt to a point. If we are to continue our species, we need to intertwine our DNA with humans. We will die off, but our offspring could live on as a slightly mutated form of our species combined with yours. They would have some human frailties, but that is a small price to pay for continuing our species." 

I scrunched my brow at the enormous implications of this. "Do you plan on trying to cross breed with humans?" I asked. 

She smiled. "If it were only that simple. Unfortunately at this point, our physiology is too different. We have tried." 

I must have looked flabbergasted. 

Her smile widened. "I haven't personally, but we have sent un-bonded males and females into your population, and they have been successful in having sexual activity with humans. But there has been no result. Our breeding process is slightly different from yours and the two processes need to be molded into one that will work independently, outside of a lab. 

"But for now, the inseminations must be done in a lab. Our best hope now is to mutate human's offspring. They in turn, hopefully will be able to breed with members of our kind and perpetuate the new species. 

I gulped. "Are you saying that you expect my children to ... try to reproduce with ... someone from your ... kind?" I was nearly stuttering. 

She smiled again as if this weren't a fantastic idea. "Yes, that is the hope." 

"Oh my God," I whispered, feeling nausea rise up in me like a wave. I swayed on my feet and felt Mulder's arms wrap around me to steady me. His arms pulled me tight to him, one hand cradling my head against his chest. 

Hemma added, "This may not come to pass. We may need to find other humans to inseminate and have the children from that union, try to reproduce with your children. We will see. It is too early to make these judgment and speculations. 

Mulder asked, "When do you plan on taking them next?" 

"Soon," she replied, maybe four ... weeks?" 

She glanced at Hexla to confirm her understanding of our calendar. He nodded in the affirmative and she turned back to us. "We would like to take blood today though." 

I swallowed hard and straightened, disengaging from Mulder's arms. She looked at me. "I will do this in front of you, you have nothing to fear. And then I would like to examine you." 

* * *

* * *

**PART 3 (NC-17)**  
**MULDER'S HOME**  
9:30 PM 

"Examine me?! What for?" 

"Hexla tells me you are breeding again." 

"Pregnant," he corrected. 

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that your term?" 

I nodded. "Yes." 

She said, "Pregnant, then. I would like to do a simple scan myself." 

Hexla interrupted. "Much like what I did last week. She will need to touch you but it is not invasive." 

I nodded, not seeing where I had much of a choice. If I refused, they would probably just hold me down and do it anyway. Hemma said, "Bring your children." 

I left Mulder in the living room with them and went upstairs. I picked up Missy and kissed the peach fuzz of her hair and settled her against my shoulder. Doggett rose from the bed where he was sitting reading a book. "Everything O.K.?" he asked. 

"We need to bring them downstairs. They want to take a blood sample." 

He nodded and picked up Sean, settling him against his shoulder. I looked at him and he turned his head away from me. But not before I saw the wetness in his eyes. I remembered suddenly that he had lost his son when he was only seven years old. I couldn't imagine the pain of that. 

He smiled a crooked smile of irony at me. "Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to try again." 

I nodded and we proceeded out into the hallway and down the stairs. We emerged into the living room. A genuine smile lit Hemma's face. Hexla smiled a closed mouth smile watching her. 

She strode to the couch and waved a hand, indicating that I should set Missy down. I gently laid her on the sofa cushion and sat next to her, her little hand in mine. 

Hexla approached and pulled a small black box from the inside pocket of his suit jacket. He handed it to Hemma and she laid it on the coffee table, carefully unlatching the lid and flipping it open. Inside were two syringes with tiny needles nestled in foam. Next to them, two transparent tubes with metal stoppers on top. 

She was quick and efficient as she held the baby's leg and extracted a small sample from the baby's femoral artery. 

Missy began to cry and my heart clenched at the sound. 

Hemma inserted the syringe in the tube and replaced the stopper, placing it back in the box. She waited for Doggett to deposit Sean on the cushion next to her. 

I scooped up Missy and moved away, cooing to her as she settled and her tears dried up. Mulder had approached the couch and sat with his fingers loosely circling Sean's wrist. 

She was equally as efficient with Sean as she had been with Missy and I had to admire her technique. 

She finished, closed the box and handed it back to Hexla, who inserted it into his jacket. 

Before Mulder could protest, she scooped Sean up and set him on her hip. She turned at smiled at him. He had given a squeal and a short burst of crying, but then settled immediately. He looked at her with his eyes wide. Then he began to giggle. It was a glorious sound and I couldn't help the smile that came to my face. 

She turned to Mulder, her expression wistful and said, "He's beautiful." 

Mulder smiled, but it was tight. He held out his arms and she handed the baby over. Mulder held the baby close, patting his bottom and looked at her. 

"That will be all for now. In one month we will return and take them ... and you for approximately 16 hours. You will come with them and you will feed them when needed." She addressed that part to me. 

I nodded. I was still breast-feeding, but I would be prepared with extra bottles to take. Then I wondered how much we could take. "Can I bring extra milk for the babies?" 

She said, "If you wish but your bag will have to be searched." 

I nodded. She turned to Mulder again. "You are exceptional for a human," she said. 

Mulder merely stared at her. She smiled, again looking amused. "I will examine your mate now." 

Seeing no point in arguing, I handed Missy to John and stepped up to her. She raised an eyebrow at my show of bravado. I didn't want to feel intimidated, but I couldn't help it. She probably knew anyway, but I was damned if I was going to show it. 

She placed her left hand on my right shoulder and her right hand on my abdomen, as Hexla had done. She closed her eyes and I heard the humming sound again, softer this time. I felt something stir inside me and sucked in a big breath of air into my lungs. I was waiting for the feel of the zap of static electricity, but it never came. Her fingers moved slightly and pressed into my stomach through my cotton pants, otherwise she didn't move. Her fingers spread to cover more territory and her humming increased some. I felt another shift of my insides and my breath hitched. She must have sensed my uneasiness because she whispered, "It's all right. Almost done." 

Another 15 seconds or so passed and then she breathed out, opened her eyes and stood up smiling. 

"You are indeed pregnant again." 

There was something about her smile that was different. "What is it?" I asked, suddenly wary. 

She smiled even wider, glancing at Mulder and back at me again. "Amazing." 

"What?!" Mulder and I nearly shouted in tandem. 

She looked even more amused, sharing a glance with Hexla. He nodded. "Did you confirm?" 

"Yes." She turned back to me. "There will be another two." 

"Two?" I asked, feeling the color drain from my head as I swayed on my feet again. I sunk down onto the couch, my hand unconsciously going to my stomach. 

Mulder clarified, "Twins again? Is that what you are saying?" 

She nodded. "Yes. You are six weeks pregnant. There are two. It is too early to tell the gender." 

"Oh Jesus," Mulder muttered. 

One hand remained on my stomach, the other covered my mouth as I squeezed my eyes shut. Oh, God, twins again. What the hell were we thinking? I wondered, feeling suddenly very overwhelmed. 

"We will see you in one month. Thank you for your cooperation," she said formerly, sketching a curt, short bow. With that she turned and went to the back door, Hexla trailing in her wake. 

There was silence after the glass door closed. We all moved to the couch, me cradling Missy, Mulder holding Sean and Doggett sitting on the end of the couch. 

A looked at Mulder and noticed the fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. "Are you all right?" 

"Yeah," he said, his voice rough with stress. 

"Is there anything I can do?" Agent Doggett asked. 

"No. Thank you for coming, John," I said. 

He nodded. "I guess I'll get going then and leave you two alone." 

He stood and swiped his hand gently over Sean's head where it lay on Mulder's shoulder. "Take care of them, big guy." 

Mulder's lips jerked up into a smile, despite himself. Doggett smiled at me, a sad smile and turned and let himself out the front door. We were silent again as we listened to his car start up and the crunch of gravel under his tires as he backed out of the driveway. 

When he was gone, I stood and made my way down to Mulder and sat beside him. He repositioned Sean so he could drape an arm over my shoulders. 

"Are you really all right?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't have wanted to discuss this in front of Agent Doggett. 

He sighed. "As all right as I'm gonna get, I guess. I'm really not sure if I will ever be all right again." 

I sighed and leaned into him, kissing his chest through his tee shirt. "We'll be O.K. as long as we stick together." 

"Together," he repeated. 

* * *

**MONICA REYES' HOME**  
**LATER THAT EVENING**  
**GEORGETOWN, VA**

I watched him pace my living room. "Jesus, Monica. I would not want to be in their shoes right now." 

I nodded. "Neither would I, although ..." 

He stopped pacing and approached me on the couch, his eyes boring into mine. "Although what?" he asked. 

"I envy her having children, is all," I answered dejectedly. 

He swallowed harshly. "I want that too ... someday." 

"Right, someday," I uttered. We had been dating for a little over a month now but hadn't slept together. I don't know why I was reluctant. Our first attempt at a relationship had ended in disaster. I was determined to take this time around at a slower pace. 

Subjects like children and commitment were touchy. The loss of his son had precipitated our first break up. 

He sat down in the corner of the couch, kicking off his shoes and raising a denim-clad leg. He put one against the back of the couch, the other on the floor. He motioned for me to come to him. "What?" I asked, even knowing what he wanted. 

I was determined to make him talk to me this time. He smiled gently. "Come here, Monica. I just need to hold someone." 

I felt tears sting my eyes as I crawled to him and insinuated myself between his legs. My arms went around his waist and I laid my head on his chest, tucked under his chin. He sighed and put his arms around me. I felt my pelvis touch down on him and heard his swift intake of breath but then he stilled. 

We just lay there for several minutes, saying nothing. Finally he said, "I wouldn't want to be Mulder right now but that doesn't mean that I don't envy a lot of what he has." 

"His dawning spooky powers?" I asked softly in a teasing tone. 

I delighted in the rumble of his chest below my chest as he chuckled. "No, he can keep that." 

"What do you envy then?" 

"He has a home, a wife that loves him beyond all reason, two healthy babies..." his voice trailed off. He finally added, "He's blessed." 

"Yes, he is," I replied. I bucked up my courage. "Are those things that you want?" He was leaving the opening to start this conversation and I couldn't seem to find a reason to put it off anymore. 

"Yes." 

"Which ones?" 

"All of them. I want all those things, but ..." 

"Uh oh, there's a but." 

I felt him smile against my hair, his nose nudging the top of my head. "But... there's a catch." 

"What would that be?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light hearted. 

"I don't want them with just anybody." 

I sucked in a breath and waited. When he didn't say anything, I asked, "Whom do you want them with?" 

He was still for a couple of seconds but then shifted beneath me, a hand coming up to tip my chin upwards so I would have to look at his face. His piercing blue eyes cut through me. I could see the longing and want on his face. It nearly stole my breath. 

His voice was rusty and low when he finally spoke softly. "You know I want them with you, Monica." 

I swallowed. "Do I?" I asked. 

His eyes never left mine as he leaned in. "Yes, I do." And then his lips covered mine. Kissing him never failed to be a transporting experience. This part hadn't changed from years ago. 

I still lost myself in kissing him. He was passionate one second and tender the next, but never stopped exploring my mouth with his tongue or my lips with his own. 

He finally disengaged and leaned his head back. We were both panting gently. I could feel his erection through his jeans, pressing into my stomach. His hands slid down to the dip in my waist and cupped the sides of my hips. He pressed gently and flexed his pelvis against mine, eliciting a traitorous groan from the back of my throat. 

The moan that sounded from him made me shiver, "Awww, God, Monica. Awww, I want you." 

I froze. 'I want you.' The words sent electricity shooting through me, but I wanted more. "I know," I replied, softly. 

He looked at me again. "But?" 

"But ... it's not enough," I stated and hung my head, somehow feeling guilty for turning him down. He had to know I was aroused. My nipples were making a rude show of themselves through my thin cotton tank top under which I wore no bra. I hadn't expected to see him tonight. 

His hand cupped the back of my neck and he pulled me down, but his head tilted to the side and he brought his lips to the shell of my ear. 

Warm breath cascaded over my neck and shoulder when he spoke. "What if I told you I loved you?" 

I shivered, despite my efforts to suppress it. "Oh God," I whimpered. 

"No, just John here," he teased. 

I chuckled nervously and pulled back to look into his eyes. We were silent while he waited patiently. 

"I'm scared," I said finally. 

"I'm terrified," he replied. 

When I said nothing, he added, "But that doesn't mean it isn't true. I'm scared, but I know that I love you. I know that I've loved you for a very long time. I know that I never stopped loving you. And I know that we aren't getting any younger, and I ... I don't want to be alone anymore." He paused. "Are we going to let this opportunity go by?" he asked softly. 

I swallowed and took a deep breath. "You know all the right words." I paused. "I needed to hear it again ... that you loved me." 

He nodded. "I'd rather show you." 

With that, he descended on my lips again. His hand rose and worked its way under my shirt, sliding up my rib cage. The warmth from his hand seeped into my skin and I shivered, feeling his rough calluses brush my skin. 

Then I groaned, "Holy shit, John," when he captured my breast, measuring its weight carefully in his palm, but then kneading gently, not touching me where I needed it the most. 

He grinned, seeming proud of himself. My traitorous body was saying what my mouth couldn't seem to. I wanted him. I loved him. But I was scared. I didn't want to lose him again. Then I thought about Agents Mulder and Scully and how much they had to fear, and how much they had to lose. 

Yet, in spite of that they were going forward with their lives. They weren't letting fate or the possibilities of the future hold them back from having the life they wanted to have with one another. I wanted to be that brave. 

John sat up, taking me with him. I rose up on my knees and looked down at him as his hand retracted from under my shirt and rested on my waist. His thumb flicked at the waistband of my faded jeans. "Want to take this upstairs?" he asked gently. 

I opened my mouth to say something but he cut me off. "I want to make love to you, Monica and I don't want to do it on the couch." 

I swallowed a little half sob that wanted to come out. I couldn't resist this anymore. I was tired, lonely, and horny ... and in love. And there were just no more reasons not to take a chance, no matter how scared I was. 

I stepped gingerly off the couch and held out my hand. He took it and levered up onto his stocking feet. I turned and headed for the stairs. He followed quietly behind me as we went to the second story of my townhouse. I swung the door open to the bedroom, eyeing my queen size bed. We stopped next to it and he said, "You won't regret this, I promise." 

I stared up at him. I didn't know what to say. Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. We'd have to wait and see. But at that moment, I didn't care anymore. I wanted him and I'd been alone too long. He didn't know it, but I'd never stopped loving him either. He'd told me that back when we sat in the car investigating the disappearance of the Mulder babies. I had wanted to believe him then, but it had taken him over a month to convince me. I believed him now but love wasn't always enough. 

He tugged my shirt over my head and stared at my breasts as they swung free from under the material. He moved slowly, unbuttoning my jeans and letting them fall. I stepped out of them, and bent to pull off my socks. I stood naked before him and he gasped a little. "You are so beautiful." 

I smiled and reached for his crotch, wrenching the button open at the top of his jeans. He smiled and helped me tug them down over his hips. I snagged his boxers with my thumbs and took them with me as I knelt down and tugged his jeans off his feet, one leg at a time. He pulled his own tee shirt off over his head as I tugged first one sock and then the other. He stopped and looked down at me. 

The moon was bright and shining in the window, giving just enough illumination. I was kneeling on the carpet, my legs spread to straddle his feet. His gaze swept over me in the dim light. I looked at his cock, bobbing gently in the open air. He was fully erect and the tip leaked some pre-ejaculate. I grazed my forefinger over the head, scooping up the droplet and brought it to my mouth, licking his taste off my finger. His head fell back and he moaned. "Ohhhh, Christ, are you trying to kill me?" 

I smiled and leaned forward, placing my hands on his flanks, loving the sight of his muscular abdomen and pecs. I felt him flex his muscles in his hips as I squeezed gently. Then I bent forward and took him into my mouth. 

"Ohhhhh, fuuucccckkk!" he growled. His head snapped forward and he stared down to watch me as his shaft disappeared in and out of my mouth. I increased the suction until my cheeks hollowed with the effort and I could feel the glands under my chin cringing with the strain. He was good size but I managed to take all of him, the head just long enough to pop down my throat and then pop back out as he retreated, thrusting gently. 

Suddenly, he grasped my head. "Stop! Monica, stop." 

I sucked hard and retreated, giving his glans a farewell lick. He hauled me up by my arms and pushed me gently back onto the bed. He was breathing heavily as he straddled me on all fours. I looked down to see his cock, swollen and red, heavy with his hardness. I felt moisture flood my crotch and scooted down to take him in hand. 

He hissed and said, "I won't last if you do that. It's been a while." 

I smiled and settled back on the bed, my hands going to his biceps as he took his weight on his elbows. His pelvis descended between my thighs and his hot, hardness poked at my entrance. 

He slipped just the head inside and I spasmed inside. He grunted, "Ugg," and then slipped in a little further. My walls were stretching to accommodate him. I hadn't had sex in so long, I probably had cobwebs. 

I moaned as he slipped steadily inside. It felt so good. Once embedded, he flexed his hips and ground himself into me. I could feel his heavy balls pressing on my back entrance. The feeling was extraordinary. 

He bent down to kiss me, taking his time. Letting out his breath in a whoosh, he said, "You feel so good, Monica." 

"Move, John," was the only thing I could manage to utter. He began to thrust gently, his strokes short. He lengthened his strokes and sped up as I adjusted to his girth. 

I finally found my voice as arousal cringed and pooled in my belly. "Oh, John, harder. Oh God, make me come!" 

I needed to come. He began to thrust harshly, burying himself completely with every stroke. One hand moved to my chest and pinched my nipple lightly. I shouted an inarticulate sound as waves of sensation rolled through my torso. I muttered, "Oh God, I'd forgotten how good this felt." 

He chuckled but kept thrusting, his concentration on his rhythm. He ground his pubic bone against mine at the bottom of a stroke, crushing my swollen, throbbing clit between us and I exploded with my release. My eyes clenched tight as sparks flew behind my eyelids. My core walls clenched violently around his incredible hardness. 

He pinched my nipple again, now hard as a pebble and puckered with orgasmic delight. I shouted as another round of spasms rolled through my crotch. 

He went stiff and still above me and then shouted through his release as his hips slammed into mine without finesse. "Sweet Jesus. Oh Yeah. Oh God! I love you! God, I love you!" 

I felt tears sting the backs of my eyelids again, hearing his declaration. If I hadn't heard it before, I might have thought it was just the heat of the moment. But I knew he meant it and I felt a lump form in my throat as he collapsed against me. His nose nuzzled my neck and he licked it, then kissed it gently, burying his nose in my hair, which was now slightly damp around the edges with sweat. He repeated himself again, "I love you, baby." 

Baby. He used to call me that all the time ... once upon a time. I felt something crack open inside me and I was flooded with emotion for this brave man in my arms. It was time to stop hurting each other. Time to stop holding back. My voice was barely a whisper but I managed to get it out. "I love you too, John. I always have." 

I felt his chest roll as he suppressed the soft sobs that wanted to escape. He sniffled loudly and drew in a couple of slow, deep breaths. Finally he raised his head and looked at me. "Can you say it again? Just one more time?" 

He looked so hopeful it broke my heart and I smiled. "I love you, John." 

His forehead fell to my breastbone and he kissed me there. Then he moved up and kissed my lips, lingering as his tongue teased mine gently. I sighed and he rolled off me. I rolled with him and up onto his sweaty chest. I was chilled now and we squirmed around until we could pull the comforter over us. I let my legs dangle between his. 

I felt contentment steal over me. I was at peace for the first time in many years. His hand petted my hair affectionately and his fingers flexed, letting the strands fall through his fingers. "Your hair is so soft," he murmured. 

I smiled and kissed his chest. I looked up suddenly and said, "Oh God, John! We didn't use any protection!" I felt panic rip through me. 

He smiled tentatively and said, "Would it be such a horrible thing?" 

We just stared at each other for several moments as I willed my heart rate to slow down. I took a shuddering deep breath and the truth hit me like a John Crawford coat hanger. "No, I guess it wouldn't be horrible at all." 

He beamed a smile at me then and I returned it, my head falling to his chest again. He murmured, "That's a really good thing." 

I chuckled and then we went silent. We fell asleep that way. I was vaguely aware that we hadn't cleaned up and I would be sticky in the morning. But I didn't care right now. I could smell us on the sheets and I wanted to, at least for tonight. 

* * *

* * *

**PART 4**  
**ARIZONA DESERT**  
**ONE MONTH LATER**

We had boarded the plane yesterday with heavy hearts, knowing we didn't have a choice and knowing that didn't make it any easier. 

We slept through most of the flight, the babies in their car seats in a seat between us. We got admiring looks and maternal stares from many of the woman on board, thinking we were just a normal couple going on vacation with our kids. 

Little did they know. Some vacation. I was terrified, but I knew Mulder was even more terrified than I was. Going back on that ship was a great fear for him. The babies might not end up harmed, but he had been and he wasn't going to easily forget it. It had been less than a year since his abduction. He'd been subjected to horrible tests and experiments from which he still experienced nightmares on a fairly regular basis. 

We landed and trudged off the plan, retrieving our luggage and checking into the Regency Hyatt. We would be picked up in the morning, or so we'd been told. 

True to their words, a knock came on the door at 7:00 AM. Fortunately, we'd been up for over an hour, showered and I had breast fed the babies while Mulder sat behind me on the bed, his legs straddling my back. He loved to watch. He may have given Frohike his porn collection, but some things never changed! 

We were almost relaxed when I felt Mulder tense behind me. He whispered, "He's here." The knock came about two seconds later. We instantly tensed and looked at each other, silently communicating our support to one another. Mulder went to the door as I strapped the kids into their car seat carriers. 

Mulder let the alien in and he looked at me, then at the babies and back to Mulder. Their eyes locked and he said, "Good morning, Mulder." 

Mulder bobbed his head in acknowledgement. "Morning, Hemplar." 

I turned and looked at him again. Hemplar? This was not Hexla, the one we were used to dealing with but the one that had effected Mulder's release from his abduction so many months ago. I'd seen him when we retrieved the babies last time, but I had never spoken with him. 

I wondered what his position was. He was supposedly Hemma's mate. And Hemma was an Elder. I could only assume that meant that he was highly placed in their hierarchy, but there was no telling. 

We silently followed him out of the room after I had slung a diaper bag over my shoulder with extra diapers and milk I had breast pumped over the last few days. I didn't want to be caught short. They said we would be there less than a day, but I didn't want to trust that. 

I could see the tension in Mulder's jaw as he clenched and unclenched it, grinding his teeth through the entire car ride. He sat in the back of the large Lincoln Town Car with me, the kids off to one side. Hemplar checked his rear view mirror frequently but said nothing. 

Mulder pulled me into his side with his arm around my shoulder. I brushed his jaw and he unclenched it, making a show of moving it back and forth to relieve the tension. 

I sighed. "It's going to be all right," I whispered. 

He nodded tensely. "Maybe you shouldn't go, Scully." 

I gave him my 'No way, buster, don't even think about it,' look. He looked out the window and back at me. "You're pregnant." 

"Oh, that's a news flash," I said sarcastically. 

He clenched his jaw again. Then he whispered, "I'm so scared, Scully." 

I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed tightly. He returned the gesture. "I know, baby, but we're no good to each other separated. We've proved that over and over again. Now isn't going to be any different. Neither one of can stand the thought of being left behind. If something happens, it's going to happen to all of us and that's the way it's got to be." 

He hugged me fiercely again, burying his nose in my hair. "I know, but I'm so worried about you, about the kids ..." 

"About yourself." 

He scowled at me. "Thanks for reminding me." 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it sounded and you know it. I mean that it's perfectly all right for you to be scared for yourself Mulder. I'd think there was something wrong with you if you weren't." 

He'd had a horrible nightmare last night and woke up screaming my name. I'd held him and rocked him while he cried silently and shook in my arms. I was worried about him handling this. The nightmares still came, but they had been diminishing in frequency and intensity. Now it seemed they were back with a vengeance. I wanted him to have some peace in his life for once. But it didn't seem that this was in the cards for us. 

We arrived in the middle of a desert, nothing to mark the spot. We exited the Town Car and looked around, not really expecting to see anything. Hemplar led us across the sand as we each toted a baby in a carrier. He stopped us and made us face one another. 

I felt rather than heard an odd vibration rumble through my chest like a high pitched tuning fork. Hemplar said his first words since we'd gotten in the car. "Close your eyes." 

We covered the babies with blankets and closed our eyes. I heard him hum behind me. The sky flashed brilliant white behind my eyelids but I knew better than to open them. The light was bright enough to blind, judging by the flash behind my eyelids. Now I knew why he'd said to close our eyes 

I felt my stomach lurch with disorientation as I felt suspended in air as though the desert floor had dropped out from underneath me. Mulder clung to me with one arm, the other clutching Sean. And then it was over nearly as soon as it started. 

My stomach gave one last roll of protest and I felt Mulder's arm slip away. Hemplar said, "You may open your eyes." 

I opened my eyes carefully and peered around. If I didn't know better, I would have thought we were on the set of Star Trek. "Beam me up, Scottie," I muttered. 

Mulder surprised me with a sudden burst of staccato laughter. "You're amazing, he mumbled as we looked around at the walls covered with screen and instrumentation, lights flashing. Hemplar led us out a metal door that stood open and we walked down a long hall, the dull metal gray walls unrelieved by any color or ornamentation. We turned a corner and headed toward the center of the ship, stopping by an unmarked door. He pressed several buttons on a keypad and the door slid open silently. We followed him into the room and found two female aliens standing there in white gowns. They looked exactly like Hemma except they weren't quite so tall. One was about 5 foot, ten inches, and the other I guessed was about 5 five, seven inches. They were both amazons still, as far as I was concerned. 

The shorter one spoke. "Hello." I am told you are called Mulder and Scully." 

We nodded at the same time. "I am Herra, and this is my colleague, Hanna." 

I wondered that they all had names beginning with H. I had much bigger things to worry about. 

Mulder acknowledged them as he had been taught to do. "Herra, Hanna, nice to meet you." 

They beamed and waved their hands simultaneously toward the table draped with a white cloth, indicating we should set the babies down there. We stepped forward and set them on the table, still in their carriers. 

"Should I take them from their carriers?" I asked. 

I was trembling slightly I noticed and tried not to let it sound in my voice. 

Herra smiled. "No, we will do it." 

I nodded. Hanna said, "There are two chairs over there near the head of the table. You may sit there to observe." 

We walked to the head of the table, glad that they weren't going to relegate us to another room. The babies were fussing once they were placed on the table. They weren't crying, but making little grunting noises of discomfort. 

A camera like device was descended from the ceiling bearing a light above the lens. I stiffened. Hanna looked up at me and said, "It is like ... your ..." 

She stopped and turned to Hemplar who had stationed himself near the door that was now shut. "X-Ray," he replied. 

She nodded, looking at me. "Like your x-ray." 

"Radiation?" I squeaked, cursing my voice for deserting me and showing my fear. 

She smiled gently. "No, this technology accomplishes what your X-ray does, but there is no radiation used. It uses a complex system that I cannot explain involving electrically charged particles. It will not harm them in any way." 

Mulder was silent throughout this exchange but now blew breath out of his mouth in a surge. I reached over and clasped his hand in mine. It was trembling and clammy with cold sweat. He made a face and wiped it on his jeans. 

The corners of my mouth turned up but fell again. "Don't worry about it. I've had your sweat on me before." 

His face twisted into a grimace and I watched him clench his teeth again. "Breathe," I whispered as I kept one eye on the machine that now whirred above the babies' heads. Screens on the walls lit up, showing the bone structure of the babies. In lighter colors, the circulatory system was evident, the patterns of capillaries and blood vessels forming the Gordian knot of survival for our species. I could see the soft tissue displayed in pastel colors against the bright colors of the circulatory system and the bones showed up in black and the cartilage in gray. 

Despite my fear, I was fascinated. Mulder was starring intently at our laps where our hands were clasped together. I pointed to the screen. "Mulder look. That's amazing. It shows everything. It's like an X-ray, a MRI and a CT scan all in one. 

Herra smiled. "You are correct. I was told that you were a physician and scientist." 

I nodded, surprised at her acknowledgement. I was sure my knowledge probably couldn't touch hers. I watched carefully as they swabbed the babies' orifices with a gauze-like material, placing it in clear containers that sealed shut. They were then placed on a tray next to the table. Each woman worked on one baby with efficiency and speed. 

Mulder began to relax as the babies continued to be docile and show no signs of distress. Hemplar was a silent observer but I felt no threat from him either. I wanted to believe they were truthful, and in my heart, I did, for some strange reason. But old habits die hard, and they had hurt Mulder. For that I would never forgive them. They said it was for a good cause and I know that Mulder probably would have died without them. 

But I couldn't help thinking that with all their sophistication, they could have given him something to take the pain away. Perhaps they wanted him to feel the pain, to be afraid so that he wouldn't resist. We would probably never know. 

The hours wore on, as they took more blood, placing it in a centrifuge type machine that separated all its components. They did tests to measure their eyesight, and reflex responses. 

They took a break every four hours or so, and Mulder would help me feed them with the milk I had toted along with us. Near the end of our stay, we were exhausted from the tension and the lack of sleep, but remained unharmed, and it seemed the babies were unharmed too. 

I nearly panicked when a huge tub of water was wheeled in on a stand and the babies were submerged in the water. Mulder and I had both jumped to our feet. 

Hemplar straightened, ready to stop our advance, but then the babies surprised us by floating right up to the top and beginning to paddle around in the water with their heads held high. They were only five months old and shouldn't have been able to swim yet, or to hold their heads that steady, but they were and we gaped in astonishment. 

Herra and Hanna just smiled. One of them stuck a thermometer in the water and said, "It's warm." 

We watched as they paddled but then they began to tire and gasp for breath. I couldn't hold off any longer. "That's enough!" I cried out. 

Everyone looked at me and then back at the babies. Herra plucked Sean out of the water and brought him to the table. Hanna reached for Missy but was a second too late and she went under. Hanna grabbed her and pulled her up, but she was sputtering and coughing and then let loose with a wail of terror. 

I rushed to her side and held my arms out. I don't know if they were finished or if it was the expression on my face that brooked no argument. But she calmly handed her to me. Mulder was instantly by my side with a soft towel he had snagged off the table. I wrapped it around her, drying her off as she continued to cry. Mulder scooped up Sean, towel and all and rocked him as he began to cry, probably just because Missy was crying. 

Mulder and I huddled together with the babies clutched to our chests as the aliens looked on nonplussed by our reaction. To my amazement, Mulder started to sing. His voice was like chocolate and honey and always soothed them the way mine never could. I couldn't sing worth beans. 

"There's a church in the valley in the wild wood," he sang softly. "No lovelier place in the dale. No spot is so dear to my childhood, as the little brown church in the dale. Oh, come, come, come, come, come to the church in the wild wood, oh come to the church in the dale. Oh the birds sing so sweetly in the wild wood, like the sound of a clear ringing bell. No spot is so dear to my childhood as the little, brown church in the dale. Oh, come, come, come, come, come to the church in the wild wood, oh come to the church in the dale." 

The babies were silent as his voice trailed off. They both stared at him in wide- eyed wonder and he smiled back at them, his eyes moist with tears that didn't fall. It was strangely silent and I looked up to find Hanna, Herra and Hemplar staring at us. 

Finally Herra asked, "What is that called?" 

Mulder raised his head, "What, singing?" 

She nodded. "You make beautiful sounds," she said. Apparently singing was something that was foreign to them. They'd probably never been off this ship. 

Hemplar smiled. "Yes, they call that singing. It is soothing, don't you think? 

Both women nodded. He added, "There is a name for singing to a baby to soothe them, isn't there?" This question was posed to Mulder. 

"That wasn't a lullaby, but I used it as one. Yes, we call those songs lullabies." 

The woman both nodded again. "Even here, suspended in the sky in our ship, through your fear, you sang to your babies to soothe them. This is an amazing thing. Look how they stare at you." 

I smiled again feeling warmth spread throughout my chest. The gravity was less here and when I sprang up on my toes to kiss Mulder, my feet shot off the ground and our noses collided. 

"Ow!" he shouted, and rubbed his nose. 

I fell back to the ground and put a hand over my nose. We both grimaced and the aliens chuckled with us, their humming sound filling the room as they showed their amusement. "Oops," I muttered. 

Mulder smiled at me and leaned down to give me a peck on the end of my nose. "Lullaby in the Sky," I muttered. 

He smiled wider. "Yup, who'd have ever thought I'd be singing a lullaby up here?" 

We put our free arms around each other as the babies sat suspended on our arms and leaned into our chests. What the hell were we going to do when we had another two? I was going to have to start lifting weights. 

* * *

The trip back was uneventful. We exited the ship the same way we came in, with our eyes closed and our bodies shielding the babies. Hemplar drove us back to the hotel and settled the babies in the portable cribs we had brought. We'd now been up 18 hours and were both ready to drop. 

After a quick shower we fell into bed. Mulder spooned up behind me and put his arm around me. The other one lay under my neck. "I love you, Scully." 

"I love you too, Mulder." 

"I'm so glad that's over." 

"Me too, but it's really only just beginning. We'd better get used to it." 

"Yeah." 

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to rain on your parade." 

"That's O.K. You're right." He paused. "Maybe we should buy a small cottage or house out here somewhere." 

I rolled onto my back and looked up into his face. "Are you serious?" 

"Well, I'm just thinking that if we are going to have to come out here for years to come, it would be nice to not have to stay in a hotel room. That was fine when it was you and I on the road. But with the kids, it's a pain in the ass. We could buy a small place and keep it stocked with stuff." 

"We never know how long we're going to be in between visits." 

"Yes, we will. They said they would give us a schedule. And after the new ones come, I assume we'll get a schedule for them too." 

I shuddered, wondering what the hell we were going to do with four babies and how we would handle all this stress but we had handled everything life had thrown at us so far. And we would handle this together. We didn't have a choice. 

"We'll talk about it some more later. If we are going to be a long time between visits, I'd have to come ahead and clean every time. And you can't travel with four babies!" 

He chuckled. "Are you forgetting how rich we are?" 

I just stared at him, not sure what he was saying. I did, in fact, forget how rich he was sometimes, despite our beautiful home. 

He added, "I'd just hire a housekeeper, Scully -- someone who could come in once a week and clean up, sweep, dust, whatever. And if he or she knew we were coming, she could do extra cleaning and make up the beds. We'd just stock it with linens and towels and things we might need for the kids." 

He was completely serious. 

"I don't know if that's necessary," I responded. 

He sighed, sounding exasperated. "So what?" 

"Well, just because you have money doesn't mean we have to spend it like water. Remember we have two more children on the way that we are going to have to pay for." 

He looked at me like I was a recalcitrant child myself. "WE have money, Scully, not just me. What's mine is yours, you know that. We're talking about making our lives easier. This is obviously going to be a part of our lives whether we like or not. We need to face that. And I don't want to be juggling four kids in a hotel room. It's ridiculous. I don't want to do it, especially when I don't have to. I'm not talking about buying something like home, or anything extravagant. I just want a small place or a cottage. We could at least sleep in a decent bed and know there were decent beds waiting for our kids." 

I swallowed. "You're probably right." 

"I know I'm right. And I'm not being frivolous. But even if I was, so what? We have the money. You can't take it with you when you go. Our lives are messed up enough. Anything I can do to make it easier is worth the effort for me." 

I was silent for a moment, pondering what he said. I would probably never get used to being rich. And I was too tired right now to think about it. "I need to sleep," I mumbled. 

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me gently. "Get some sleep, Scully. We'll talk some more about it later." 

I rolled over and he scooted up behind me again. We slept like the dead for the next eight hours. The kids had never slept through the night yet, but they did that night. 

I woke up eight hours later, amazed at the time. My heart clutched with fear again as I realized I hadn't heard a peep from the cribs. I leaped out of bed naked and dashed across the room to the cribs. Both of them were there, safe and sound, breathing peacefully in sleep. I sighed in relief. I heard Mulder behind me, "Anything wrong?" 

"No, they slept through the night." 

"They did, didn't they." It was a statement and he sounded amazed. I turned to look at him and he gasped. 

"What?" I asked automatically. 

He smiled and said, "Do you have any idea how gorgeous you are, standing there naked, peering down into those cribs?" he teased. 

I laughed softly. "You're a weird person, Mulder, you know that?" 

"Yes I do, and you love me anyway," he teased back. 

"Yes, I do." I swayed my hips as I approached the bed again. 

He growled and grabbed me when I was within reach. I tumbled onto the bed and he rolled over top of me and back down until I was on top of him. He held my hips and pulled me by the back of my neck. I stooped down and kissed him, feeling his morning erection stir underneath me. 

He broke the kiss. "As good as this feels, I need to pee," he said seriously. 

I giggled and rolled off him. He stood up and headed for the bathroom. I took a moment to admire the sight of his muscles rolling under his skin as he walked, and the flesh of his butt tightening and relaxing as he strode with that grace he always had. I sighed and leaned back on the bed. 

My nipples were sensitive. I was still breast-feeding and shouldn't have been able to get pregnant, but then, nothing about me getting pregnant was normal. I shouldn't have been able to have one kid, let alone two. And now they told me I was having twins again. I was elated and terrified all at the same time. I hoped I was up to the challenge. 'Ready or not, here we come ... the Mulder family is expanding at an alarming rate!' I thought facetiously. 

Mulder emerged from the bathroom, his sex hanging heavy and thick against his thigh. I stared at it, still amazed at the power just the sight of his body had over me. I watched him harden under my gaze and finally looked up at this face. 

His eyes were black with desire and his lids were hooded. His mouth parted and he absently licked his lower lip, making me close my eyes at the erotic sight. He crawled up onto the bed, straddling me and lowered his head. He took my nipple in his mouth, suckling gently and lapping the bud with his tongue. 

I moaned and arched into his mouth, begging for more. He sucked harder and I felt a dart of pain/pleasure shoot from my nipple into my groin and spread warmth throughout the region. 

One hand came up to pinch the free nipple. He pinched lightly but that was all it took to flood my nether region with moisture and make me moan again. He moaned against my breast in response. I felt the vibrations rattle through me, setting every nerve ending on my fire. 

My hands began explore his arms, his shoulders, his back, anywhere I could reach. He settled between my thighs, my breast emerging from his lips with an audible sound of suction breaking. I whimpered and he smiled, reaching down with one hand to swipe his fingers through my folds. 

I was wet and swollen and his eyes closed languorously when he felt how ready I was. He always seemed amazed that he could affect me this way. Little did he know he'd been affecting me that way for five years before we ever kissed. One lingering touch was sometimes all it took for me to cream my panties. 

He barked out a low, deep groan and gasped, "Five years?" 

I startled and looked at him. "God, that's going to freak me out." 

He stopped and stilled. "Sorry, it just slipped out. Would you rather I keep it to myself?" 

The idea that Mulder could read my thoughts was an unnerving one. It seems way to invasive and intimate. Then again, who was I more intimate with than Mulder. Who did I trust more than Mulder. And we had worked so hard on our communication skills. I didn't want to go backwards in that department and have him feel that he couldn't share what was happening to him with me. 

I shook my head, "No, it will just take some getting used to." 

He smiled and began to move in and out of my slick tunnel at a maddeningly slow pace. He whispered, "It won't be so freaky if you participate." 

Thrust, retreat. 

"What do you mean?" 

Thrust, retreat. 

"We could practice. You think things and try to project them out to me and we'll see how accurate I am. It could be fun." 

Thrust, retreat. 

I quirked an eyebrow. "You've already proven your accuracy." 

Thrust, retreat. 

"Aw, you're no fun," he teased. 

Thrust, retreat. 

I clenched my internal muscles and he barked an incoherent sound from the back of his throat. "Ooohhhwwwggg. No fair. Play nice, Scully, or else." 

Thrust, retreat. 

"Or else what?" 

Thrust, retreat. 

"Give me a minute," he muttered. 

I chuckled, loving that we could talk like this and have fun when we had sex. It wasn't always a serious endeavor anymore. We could be lighthearted about it despite all we'd been through. 

"O.K., how about this?" I asked. In my mind, I pictured myself screeching, 'I want you to fuck me until my teeth rattle!' 

"Jesus!" he shouted and sped up, beginning to slam into me. 

'Fuck me as hard as you can!' I hollered in my mind. 

He groaned, "Aaaawwww, fuck!" 

He lowered his head, drew his knees up and started to put his back into it. He slammed into me, bottoming out against my cervix and burying himself deep. I nearly bounced on the bed from the impact of his thrusts. 

"Oh, Mulder, yes!" I cried, out loud this time. 

He began to pant. "Oh God, Oh Christ, Holy Shit, Scully! You make me crazy!" he shouted, continuing to pound my ass into the mattress. 

I reached to my breasts and pinched both nipples between my thumbs and forefingers. He looked down to watch me do it, his mouth hanging open. "Oh yeah, Scully, pinch 'em!" 

I did, rolling the engorged nubs between my fingers. One of his hands slid under me, cushioning my ass as he continued to sink inside me with almost brutal force. His middle finger found it's way between the cheeks of my ass and he pressed it against my anus. 

I wailed his name as my orgasm crashed through me, "Mmmuuullldddeeerrr! Oh Christ! So goooodddd!" 

"Sccuullyy!" he shouted as I felt him harden even further, pulse and begin to wash my insides with hot sperm. 

We rode it out together and as we lay there panting, both babies began to cry. 

He lifted his head and looked at me wearily. "Party time's over," he muttered. 

I chuckled and he rolled off me. "Yeah, huh?" I didn't expect an answer. 

He said, "I'll get Missy this time." 

I nodded and hauled myself up, grabbing some tissues to wipe up the majority of our combined juices coating the insides of my thighs. By the time I stood up, Mulder was headed back to the bed with a baby on each arm. "Sit back, relax," he instructed. 

I scooted back and he handed me Sean as I leaned against the headboard. He went to the pack and pulled a bottle out. He looked at me. "This is cold." 

"Wait a minute. I'll be finished in a minute and then she can have the other breast. They are a little sore anyway." 

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?" 

"No silly, I was the one pinching my own nipples, remember?" 

"Yes, I do," he said with a leer, waggling his eyebrows. 

I laughed again. "I've just filled up. I'm not used to sleeping eight hours any more without interruption." 

"Oh, yeah." 

He said on the bed cooing to Missy and I smiled at the picture they made. She looked like a peanut in his arms. 

After a few moments of silence I said, "They seemed very impressed with your singing, Mulder." 

He grinned. "Gee, if I'd known that was all it took, I would have serenaded them years ago." 

I laughed and he smiled wider, leaning down to give Missy an Eskimo kiss. "Something tells me that won't be your last." 

"Last what?" 

"Lullaby in the sky." 

He looked down at Missy. He looked sad. "You know, Scully, despite everything, I wouldn't trade a minute of this. You know that don't you?" 

"Of course I do. I feel the same way. And you know that too." 

He smiled gently at me. "I love you so much it scares me." 

"Me too." 

* * *

We spent the next half an hour feeding babies and taking showers and preparing to leave. On the plane ride home, once again, we slept like zombies, waking only to put on our seatbelts as we landed. 

I was surprised to find Agent Doggett and Agent Reyes waiting for us at the airport. 

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked as we disembarked and they met us at the gate. 

Monica smiled. "We figured you might need some help." She eyed me, taking in my carry-on draped on one shoulder. I had the diaper bag on the other, and Missy's carrier clutched in the middle with both hands. Mulder laughed and I gave him a dirty look. 

They all chuckled and Monica reached for my shoulder. I nodded, giving her silent permission. She slung the carry-on over one shoulder and picked up the diaper bag with the other. They followed us to the luggage check, where John grabbed our two suitcases. We made our way to the car, packing the kids in the back seat in their carriers. 

As we were ready to get in and go, John asked Mulder, "Would you like to ride with me?" 

Mulder eyed him curiously, then turned to look at me. I shrugged not caring either way. He looked like he had something important to talk to him about. 

Monica spoke up. "That would work. I'll ride with Dana and drive and you ride with John and he can drive. I don't imagine either of you is up to driving after your trip. You can relax that way and leave the driving to us." 

Something was going on here. Mulder and I exchanged a look, understanding that something was going on and it was easier to just go along. I nodded and said, "Sure, sounds like a plan to me. You guys go do some male bonding and Monica and I will gossip." 

They laughed and walked off towards John's car. 

We slid into the car and pulled out of the parking lot. We were silent until she pulled onto the highway. I finally had to ask. "What's up?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Something is going on. You two meet us out here, you want to drive, and you want to put us in separate cars. What gives?" 

She sighed. "John and I are ... involved." 

I smiled. "I knew that." 

She looked a little surprised. "We've tried hard to keep it under wraps." 

"I know that too. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." 

We were quiet for a few more miles and then she blurted out. "We made love for the first time in a long time, about a month back." 

I turned to look at her, waiting. She didn't say anything else. "And?" I prompted. 

"And I've missed my period," she said calmly, never taking her eyes off the road. 

"Ah!" I said, smiling, now knowing what the issue was. 

"What are you going to do?" 

"I'm going to have it." 

I nodded. "So what's the problem?" 

"I don't know. I didn't plan for this to happen. But we got caught up in the moment and forgot to use protection. Some responsible adults we are, huh?" 

I chuckled. "Happens to the best of us, I guess." 

"Yeah, well, here I am, 35 years old, pregnant and unmarried." 

"That's not a taboo anymore." 

She sighed. "I know, but I didn't plan on our relationship advancing this fast either. We have a history and I wanted to take it slow this time. But ..." 

"But?" 

"The man touches me and I lose my ability to think straight." 

I laughed out loud then and sputtered around my chuckles, "I know ... what you mean." 

We both laughed then. "I want this baby," she said. 

"Congratulations." 

She smiled, glanced at me and then back at the road. She didn't say anything again and I knew this wasn't the whole of it. 

"What's the matter, Monica?" 

"I want this baby, but ..." 

"But you want John too, ... in a committed relationship." 

"Yes." 

"You want to marry him?" 

"Yes." 

"Then why don't you tell him." 

She blinked rapidly then said, "I don't want him to marry me because of the baby." 

"Oh, I see." 

"You were in the same boat, weren't you?" 

"Is that why you're asking me?" 

"Yes." 

"Well, I was but I knew Mulder loved me, pregnant or not." 

She swallowed. "Do you know how lucky you are?" 

I smiled. "Yes, I do. And you could be too." I paused, wondering if I was overstepping my bounds. "He loves you, Monica. I'm sure of that." 

Her eyes grew moist but she stared at the road in front of her. "I know he does." 

"But?" 

"But that doesn't mean he wants to marry me." 

"Won't know unless you ask. What have you got to loose?" 

"I could be humiliated if the answer is No." 

"I don't think so." 

* * *

We got home and Monica helped me unload the babies and the luggage and tote it all into the house. My mother was there waiting, frantic for news of our trip. She carefully inspected each of the babies as I recounted the tales of our trip, leaving out the details of the tests and the weird technology that we had seen, as they had requested we do. 

We were starting to get worried when Mulder and John finally pulled into the driveway. They came in the front door and I immediately asked, "Where the hell have you two been?" 

Mulder smiled and held up a big brown paper bag held on its side. "Dinner." 

He went into the kitchen with John close behind. We put the babies in the bassinets in the dining room and proceeded to fill our plates with Chinese food. We ate and talked. 

I was ready for them to leave when they finally made their exit. 

I looked at Mulder as I watched my mother pull out of the driveway and follow them down the street. 

"So what did John want to talk about?" 

"Monica. What did Monica want to talk about?" 

"John." 

We smiled at each other. 

"She wants to get married. She thinks she's pregnant. But she doesn't want John to marry her because of the baby." 

"Does he know about it?" 

"Not yet." 

"Then she's about to be one happy lady." 

"How come?" 

"He bought her a ring. He's going to propose tonight." 

We smiled at each other. It was going to be nice to share parenthood with them. They had become our friends. We were, despite our situation, living a more normal life than ever before. We smiled and took the kids upstairs settling them into their cribs and climbed into bed. 

"Ah," he muttered, "The Mulder family finally gets some peace." 

I smiled. "I love you." 

"Love you too, baby." 

**THE END.**   
  


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